Congress:
EuroSafe Imaging 2020
Keywords:
Action 7 - Radiation protection of children, Biliary Tract / Gallbladder, Interventional non-vascular, Liver, Fluoroscopy, Dosimetry, Equipment, Radiation safety, Foetus, Not applicable, Performed at one institution
Authors:
R. Gerasia, G. S. Gallo, L. Maruzzelli, C. Cannataci, R. Miraglia
DOI:
10.26044/esi2020/ESI-03692
Conclusion and recommendations
The procedure was successfully completed with adequate image quality and without increasing fluoroscopy time. The dose from external scattered radiation was minimal: both above and below the lead apron Hp10 was 0 µSv. DAP was 0.052 Gy*cm2 and AK 0.00047 Gy. Effective dose to the patient and equivalent dose to the uterus were 0.013±0.1% mSv and 0.002±0.2% mSv respectively. (Figure 5) This means that, although the equipment was newest generation equipment, the application of all the strategies of dose reduction achieved the clinical aim with a very low radiation dose.
Managing exposure to radiation during interventional procedures is a complex challenge especially when the auto-exposition system is employed. Awareness of the potential fetal and maternal radiation risks promote the application of all dose reduction strategies possible thus resulting in a negligible dose to the fetus (0.002±0.2% mSv). Very low patient doses can also be obtained in patients who are assumed to not be pregnant. This can be achieved by maintaining the good practice of adapting fluoroscopy protocols to both patient and procedure as evidenced by when this patient underwent bilioplasty with an equivalent dose to the uterus of 0.24% mSv).
Even though the procedure was performed using angiographic equipment targeted for cardiological and not abdominal interventional procedures, radiographers’ and radiologists’ in-depth knowledge of equipment and of the radiation dose delivered allowed a clinically necessary procedure such as this BCC to be carried out safely with a very low equivalent dose (< 1mSv) to the fetus.